8. SIMON POWER (National—Rangitikei) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
Does she agree with the report of the Ombudsman, released yesterday, which states that the criminal justice sector is suffering from a loss of public and political confidence, and that this is putting the system at “serious risk”?
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Justice) Link to this
The Ombudsman’s report is wide ranging. It deserves careful consideration, and that is what this Government will give it.
Does she agree with the Ombudsman, regarding the criminal justice sector, that there is “an absence of rational decision making based on any critical examination of the issues.”, which “exists at the policy development, political and legislative stages and also importantly at the various operational levels.”; if not, why not?
This report was tabled yesterday. The Government intends to give it serious consideration, and not make ad hoc and off-the-hoof comments until it has been properly considered. There are many parts to it.
Does the Minister agree with the Ombudsman’s view that there is a lack of coherence in the policy direction of criminal justice legislation since 1999; and is this not summed up by the fact that in the last year the Government has been more concerned with prison numbers than with public safety yet in 2004 Phil Goff crowed about rising prison numbers as evidence that he was getting tough on crime?
It would be very easy for one to go through such a comprehensive report and take out any negative one could find. I could have easily gone through and taken out positives, but I want to give the report serious consideration and not a once-over-lightly.
Does the Minister think that a commission of inquiry into the criminal justice sector, as suggested by the Ombudsman, is justified; and how can this be seen as anything but a condemnation of the Government’s management of the sector when the Ombudsman says it is suffering from a loss of public confidence that is putting the justice system at serious risk?
What we are having from the member is a once-over-lightly. We will consider that when we consider the whole report.
Has the Minister read the Ombudsman’s analysis of the Government’s effective interventions initiatives, where he states: “I want to express my disappointment at a lack of emphasis on youth justice and the low priority given to addressing the precursors of crime.”; and is this really any surprise when the Youth Justice Ministers Group did not meet for 3 years?
Dr Pita SharplesTēnā koe; tēnā tātou. Has the Minister seen the comment made last week by Ngāti Kahungunu lawyer Moana Jackson describing “the fragility of the relationship between Māori people and the institutions charged with justice in this country”, and does she believe that this accounts for what the Ombudsman describes in his report as “differences of view between the Ministry of Justice and Te Puni Kōkiri”, which “have been allowed to impede the formulation of plans to deal with one of the more unsatisfactory aspects of our criminal justice system.”; and what will she do about it?
Nandor TanczosDoes the Minister agree that a major cause of lack of confidence in the criminal justice system is the way that victims of crime are treated, and does she further agree that the recommendations from the victims’ rights inquiry initiated by the Green Party will help to restore that confidence when its recommendations are presented to the House?
There is no doubt that victims of crime in New Zealand have not had the attention they deserve. They have had considerable attention in the last few years in comparison with the past, and we are focusing on victims’ rights. I commend the Green Party for its inquiry, but I also note that it was not an inquiry the National Party was particularly interested in being involved in.
What progress has the Minister made in responding to the recommendation from the Hon Justice Eddie Taihākūrei Durie to the New Zealand Parole Board conference—to address what he describes as “the paucity of research information in relation to Māori and the management of crime”—that a school for the study of Māori offending should be established, which would include within its scope the role of restorative justice, Māori custom, and the tradition of community control of local conduct?